Mait Metsanurk was an Estonia

Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

n writer who led the neo-realist school of Estonian literature

Estonian literature

Estonian literature refers to literature written in the Estonian language The domination of Estonia after the Northern Crusades, from the 13th century to 1918 by Germany, Sweden, and Russia resulted few early written literary works in Estonian language. The oldest records of written Estonian...

.

Early years

Mait Metsanurk was born as the youngest of eight children in a peasant family. He attended elementary school in Orge and a Russian-speaking city school in Tartu

Tartu

Tartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the...

. He then worked in various position, first as an office clerk, then as a schoolteacher and from 1906 as a journalist. He is buried in the forest cemetery in Tallinn.

Career

Mait Metsanurk reached his literary breakthrough in 1908 with realistic portrayal of Estonian town and country living at the time. In particular, the social contradictions and tensions were used in his work. Mait Metsanurk became one of the most prolific and popular writer and playwright of his era. Together with Anton Hansen Tammsaare

Anton Hansen Tammsaare

Anton Hansen Tammsaare , born Anton Hansen, was an Estonian writer whose pentalogy Truth and Justice is considered one of the major works of Estonian literature and "The Estonian Novel"....

 (1878–1940), he is considered one of the most outstanding representatives of Estonian neo-realism of the interwar period. His main work, the historical novel Ümera jõel

Ümera jõel

Ümera jõel is a novel by Estonian author Mait Metsanurk. It was first published in 1934....

(On the Ümera River) (1934), depicts the struggle of the pagan Estonians

Ancient Estonia

Ancient Estonia refers to a period covering History of Estonia from the middle of the 8th millennium BC until the conquest and subjugation of the Estonian people in the first quarter of the 13th century during the Northern Crusades.-The Mesolithic Period:...

 against the Danish and German conquest in the thirteenth century. In addition, he worked as a literary critic and translator.
In 1924/25 and from 1930 to 1936 Mait Metsanurk was chairman of the Estonian Writers' Union

Estonian Writers' Union

The Estonian Writers Union , is a professional association of Estonian writers and literary critics.-History:...

.
With the Soviet occupation of Estonia Mait Metsanurk was sidelined politically and expelled from the Writers' Union. Mait Metsanurk was rehabilitated in 1956, after the death of Stalin.

Prose

• Isamaa õilmed (narrative, Tallinn 1908)
• Vahesaare Villem (novel, Tallinn 1909)
• Jumalalapsed (short stories, Tallinn 1910)
• Orjad (novel, Tallinn 1912)
• Toho-Oja Anton (novella, Tallinn 1916)
• Ennäe inimest! (Novel, 1918)
• Epp (narrative, Tartu 1920)
• Jumalata (narrative, Tallinn 1921)
• Taavet Soovere elu ja surm (novel, 1922)
• Valge pilv (novel, Tartu, 1925)
• Jäljetu haud (novel, Tartu, 1926)
• Viimne päev (short story collection, Tallinn 1927)
• Punane tuul (novel, Tartu, 1928)
• Jutustused ja novellid (stories and novellas, Tartu 1929)
• Fr. Arrast & Pojad (novel, Tartu, 1930)
• Elu murrab sisse (short story collection, Tartu, 1931)
• Taniel heitleb (narrative, Tartu 1932)
• Maine ike (short story collection, Tartu, 1933)
• Mändide all (youth narrative, Tartu, 1933)
• Ümera jõel
  Ümera jõel
  Ümera jõel is a novel by Estonian author Mait Metsanurk. It was first published in 1934....
  
  (novel, Tartu, 1934)
• Soosaare (novel, Tartu, 1936)
• Kutsutud ja seatud (diary novel, Tartu, 1937)
• Tuli tuha all (novel, Tartu, 1939)
• Tee algul. Mälestused I (Memories, Tallinn 1946)
• Suvine pööripäev (novel, Tallinn 1957)

Plays

• Uues korteris (Comedy, Tallinn 1908)
• Vagade elu (Comedy Tartu 1923)
• Kindrali poeg (Drama, Tartu, 1925)
• Talupoja poeg (Drama, Tartu, 1929)
• Mässuvaim ehk Agulirahvas läheb ajalukku (Comedy, Tallinn 1931
• Haljal oksal (Comedy, Tallinn 1932)
• C. R. Jakobson (Drama, Tartu, 1935)
• Maret elukoolis (Comedy, Tallinn 1938)